Unitas grandson: Flacco is 'embarrassing choice' to play NFL great in movie

Apr. 7, 2013
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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco leaves the locker room after Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Flacco will play Johnny Unitas in an upcoming movie, but the choice has been ridiculed by members of the Unitas family. / Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

Flacco has agreed to play Unitas, the former Baltimore Colts quarterback, in the final scenes of the film, "Unitas We Stand," expected to hit theaters in 2014.

"If you want a real movie, hire a real actor," wrote J.C. Unitas on Facebook.

Added the 24-year-old former Villanova quarterback: "My grandfather and his legacy deserves only the best, and this is not it. Has Baltimore forgotten that Trent Dilfer also won a Super Bowl while playing for Baltimore?"

J.C.'s father, John Unitas Jr., calls Flacco a "goofball."

"If you want a quarterback, go with Peyton Manning," John said. "My father was just like that. This is a joke."

A call to Flacco's agent for comment was not immediately returned.

The film, based on a book written by Tom Callahan, is being produced by Johnny's son, Joe, from the quarterback's second marriage. Joe's mother, Sandra Unitas, unsuccessfully sued John Jr., Johnny's eldest son from his first marriage, over control of Unitas Management, which owns the rights to the family name.

John Jr., who was a ball boy for the Colts during his father's playing days in Baltimore, is considering legal recourse against Joe if he profits from his father's name.

"It is awful. The guy's a turd," John Jr. told USA TODAY Sports.

John Jr. added, "(Callahan) never talked to me. He never talked to any of the first five children. He's a guy that's just making money off of my father."

When reached by USA TODAY Sports, Joe Unitas declined comment.

Joe Unitas told the Baltimore Sun the projected budget for the film is $12.8 million, and he's seeking "sponsorships" from individual fans to produce the film based on the life of Johnny Unitas, the Hall of Fame quarterback who retired from football in 1973 and died in 2002. He said part of the proceeds will go to charity.

"It disgusts me that one of the son's of my grandfather would put his hands out and ask for donations to make a movie based off of a book that was mostly built off of non-factual events in my grandfather's life," J.C. writes. "Moreover, a movie of my grandfather conceptualized by a son who never saw my grandfather play a down of football.

"The Unitas family is a family that never asked for handouts, although it appears there is a hand out, shaking a proverbial soup can for money to fund a movie."

"They're trying to do anything on the coattails of my father's name," John said. "It's like prostituting yourself. My father would have nothing to do with it. It makes me angry, but there's nothing I can do about it until they slip up. If they start selling some things with Johnny Unitas on it, then I have legal recourse."